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Elland Road director offered cash to delay takeover as third consortium attempted to take control of Leeds United
A LAST-DITCH attempt to scupper Ken Bates's takeover of Leeds United saw an Elland Road director offered an "incentive" of £250,000 by a rival consortium to stall the deal.
Simon Morris, the leading shareholder at the club before last month's takeover, was offered the money just hours before Bates formally took charge of United.
The approach came from charity fundraiser Stuart Levin, who asked Morris to 'put a stop' on the Bates deal and offered to pay the money, claiming a rival consortium's funds were just 24 hours away from being available. The offer was dismissed, however, and Bates duly completed his takeover in the early hours of January 21.
Three consortiums were bidding for the club at the time – one led by Bates, another by United season ticket holder Norman Stubbs and a third mystery group on whose behalf Levin made the approach.
The drama unfolded on Thursday, January 20 when go-between Levin, in the offices of chartered accountants Haines Watts, made the offer to United director Morris, who was in the offices of the club's solicitors, Walker Morris.
Levin asked: "What do you want to put a stop on it (the Bates deal) in the next 24-48 hours?"
Later in the conversation, he offered to pay £250,000 using an American account, and then promised "we'll give it you in writing now".
Morris, who yesterday said he treated the offer light-heartedly, responded by asking: "Can they make a cheque payable to my granddad?"
Levin said yesterday: "It is true that I did, on behalf of the consortium I represented, which consisted of die-hard Leeds United supporters and businessmen, offer Simon Morris an incentive to hold back on any other deal as I knew our funds were 24 hours away.
"He said he was very interested and asked how the incentive would be paid. I said that upon completion of our deal that he should provide a bona-fide invoice so everything would be above board. I never heard from him again about this matter.
"Speaking as a Leeds United supporter of 48 years standing, I think Ken Bates is doing an excellent job and I wish him all the best."
Morris was a member of the five-man board led by Gerald Krasner that took over United in March last year. He said yesterday: "I was being offered money to stop the deal with Ken Bates going through.
"The only way I could treat it was light-heartedly and with contempt. I was surprised by the nature of this when we were so close to securing the future of the club."
Melvyn Levi, a fellow director of Morris at Elland Road until Bates's takeover, said there was no chance of the former Chelsea chairman's takeover being halted.
He told the Yorkshire Post last night: "The offer was made in an open meeting and the lawyers heard it. But we had met Ken Bates the previous Monday and we were set to complete on the Friday – as far as I am concerned, you cannot do any better than that.
"He had his lawyers working through the night to get the deal done, that was a clear sign of his intent, and there was no doubt he was the one who was going to save Leeds United. We had stablised the club and wanted someone to take it forward.
"There was no way we would rely on someone saying 'the money will be here in 24 hours' – we had heard it all before," he said.
"We had had too many false dawns in the past, but it was clear Ken Bates was not a false dawn. All these rich people in Leeds had had 10 months to sort a deal – we had always said from the start that we would talk to anyone who came along with a sensible offer to take over the club.
"Ken did that and took the chairman's statement that all the figures were correct."
The Elland Road takeover saga dragged on for several months with chairman Gerald Krasner, whose own consortium spent 10 months in charge, being approached by 14 different groups expressing an interest. Krasner declined to comment last night.
Elland Road director offered cash to delay takeover as third consortium attempted to take control of Leeds United
A LAST-DITCH attempt to scupper Ken Bates's takeover of Leeds United saw an Elland Road director offered an "incentive" of £250,000 by a rival consortium to stall the deal.
Simon Morris, the leading shareholder at the club before last month's takeover, was offered the money just hours before Bates formally took charge of United.
The approach came from charity fundraiser Stuart Levin, who asked Morris to 'put a stop' on the Bates deal and offered to pay the money, claiming a rival consortium's funds were just 24 hours away from being available. The offer was dismissed, however, and Bates duly completed his takeover in the early hours of January 21.
Three consortiums were bidding for the club at the time – one led by Bates, another by United season ticket holder Norman Stubbs and a third mystery group on whose behalf Levin made the approach.
The drama unfolded on Thursday, January 20 when go-between Levin, in the offices of chartered accountants Haines Watts, made the offer to United director Morris, who was in the offices of the club's solicitors, Walker Morris.
Levin asked: "What do you want to put a stop on it (the Bates deal) in the next 24-48 hours?"
Later in the conversation, he offered to pay £250,000 using an American account, and then promised "we'll give it you in writing now".
Morris, who yesterday said he treated the offer light-heartedly, responded by asking: "Can they make a cheque payable to my granddad?"
Levin said yesterday: "It is true that I did, on behalf of the consortium I represented, which consisted of die-hard Leeds United supporters and businessmen, offer Simon Morris an incentive to hold back on any other deal as I knew our funds were 24 hours away.
"He said he was very interested and asked how the incentive would be paid. I said that upon completion of our deal that he should provide a bona-fide invoice so everything would be above board. I never heard from him again about this matter.
"Speaking as a Leeds United supporter of 48 years standing, I think Ken Bates is doing an excellent job and I wish him all the best."
Morris was a member of the five-man board led by Gerald Krasner that took over United in March last year. He said yesterday: "I was being offered money to stop the deal with Ken Bates going through.
"The only way I could treat it was light-heartedly and with contempt. I was surprised by the nature of this when we were so close to securing the future of the club."
Melvyn Levi, a fellow director of Morris at Elland Road until Bates's takeover, said there was no chance of the former Chelsea chairman's takeover being halted.
He told the Yorkshire Post last night: "The offer was made in an open meeting and the lawyers heard it. But we had met Ken Bates the previous Monday and we were set to complete on the Friday – as far as I am concerned, you cannot do any better than that.
"He had his lawyers working through the night to get the deal done, that was a clear sign of his intent, and there was no doubt he was the one who was going to save Leeds United. We had stablised the club and wanted someone to take it forward.
"There was no way we would rely on someone saying 'the money will be here in 24 hours' – we had heard it all before," he said.
"We had had too many false dawns in the past, but it was clear Ken Bates was not a false dawn. All these rich people in Leeds had had 10 months to sort a deal – we had always said from the start that we would talk to anyone who came along with a sensible offer to take over the club.
"Ken did that and took the chairman's statement that all the figures were correct."
The Elland Road takeover saga dragged on for several months with chairman Gerald Krasner, whose own consortium spent 10 months in charge, being approached by 14 different groups expressing an interest. Krasner declined to comment last night.